On 27th September we were divided into groups of 50 and loaded into lighters from a small pier at the corner of the Camp and taken out to an old freighter, of about 7,000 tons. The name of the ship was the "Lisbon Maru", the captain being Capt. Kyoda Shigeru. The ship had three holds. In No.1 hold (nearest the bow of the ship) were mainly Royal Naval personnel. In No.2 hold were the Royal Scots, Middlesex Regt. and some smaller units. In No.3 hold were the Royal Artillery and above them, between-decks, were about 800 Japanese troops, returning to Japan. Total number of POWs on board were 1,816.
The space allotted to us was appalling; we were located deep in the holds of the ship which had been fitted with wooden platforms, as one lay down, the clearance above one's head was only about two feet to the next tier. In our hold, over 450 POWs were placed. The Japanese troops were located over us in the between decks. The ship also carried a large amount of stores which had been captured in Hong Kong.
We discovered as we tumbled down into the hold that our only ventilation was the air which filtered down through the open hatches, while our sanitation for the journey consisted of a few buckets which, considering many were suffering from dysentery, were totally inadequate. During the day, the POWs were allowed on deck in small batches and able to use wooden contraptions, slung over the side of the ship, to serve as “toilets”. The food issued to us was far better than we had been getting in Camp - rice, spoonful of vegetables, and a tin of bully beef between four men, each day.
The ship eventually left Hong Kong on the 27th September. The weather was fine and warm, the sea smooth. The next three days were uneventful - we travelled north, close to the China coast. Few of us thought then, as we watched the receding shores of Hong Kong that for more than half of those on board, it was the last time they would ever see land.
The Japanese were accommodated on the between-decks and all of them were loaded with watches, cameras, jewellery, etc., looted in Hong Kong. Occasionally, they would throw a cigarette down, just to watch us scramble for it, and would laugh at our humiliation. Conditions were terrible in the holds, as many were too weak to move and make use of the few toilet buckets available. Although we had been medically examined before sailing, we had not been on board for more than a day before diphtheria and dysentery broke out. As there were no drugs or medicines available, these infections spread rapidly. The movement of the ship also caused seasickness among the chaotic conditions. Tempers became short and our cloak of civilisation was thrown off, as we struggled for our very existence - our sole aim then was self-preservation and survival. We consoled ourselves with the thought, however, that the journey was only for a few days. We were unable to tell night from day in the darkness of the holds, no lights being allowed. A roll call was taken twice a day, but the Japanese guards did not enter the holds, the senior officer in each hold reported the muster to them.